Letter from Freed Slave to His Former Master Surfaces

Harriet Tubman with escaped slaves at an Underground Rail Road station

*A newly discovered letter from a freed former slave to his onetime master is making headlines.

In August of 1865, a Colonel P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee, wrote to his former slave, Jourdan Anderson, and requested that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdan — who, since being emancipated, had moved to Ohio, found paid work, and was now supporting his family — responded spectacularly by way of the letter seen below in its entirety, per the website Letters of Note.

Dayton, Ohio,

August 7, 1865

To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin’s to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson,—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, “Them colored people were slaves” down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor’s visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams’s Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

8 Responses

Nope, not going back, as a matter of fact I would have written something back and it wouldn’ t have been as nice as he put it. But those were the days back then, God pulled them through it, and it probably wouldn’t have made any sense to keep holding that against that white master. That master has a lot to answer for on judgement day.

Unfortunately, I understand this letter in its entirety better than I should in today’s time. This mind set still exist. I am an independent contractor employed by an extremely successful Caucasian clientele. This pains me to say but it must be known that I am like him. The letter tries to stay pleasant and gracious without making a fuss. You fear an aftermath to your livelihood if done otherwise.

Even with a black president, we bend and try to be conditionally civil so not to be percieved as a sterotypical MADD Blacks! We truly need to be. Playing the I can be your equal game, civilized educated and god fearing is trickery. An act USED when necessary and has been instilled in our core values only to keep us under control. We are shamed if not acting accordingly, and worst an embarrassment to our own. Isn’t this what we are MISSING in Obama. An angry black man striking fear in others. The Change they are so disappointed they did not see… Now finding him to be submissive, not taking enough control. All the while they play underhanded, stone walling being the opposite of civil or god like. Demeaning our only example of a minority president to be percieved as a failure so there will not be another in the near future.

So…. Shoot me, cheat me, do as many harmful things you can and I still will show you respect you do not deserve. I HOPE the guilt will kill you ! Alot of good this does. Say Act and be in the moment so you don’t regret in these times not falling into a slaves mentality!!!!!

Mr. Jourdan Anderson took the high road, and I admire that. If he wanted to ‘snap off’ on the slave master and riddle his letter with expletives, I would totally understand — however, that’s not the kind of person he was.

And as far as Pres. Obama, people seem to forget that he is from an African father, and doesn’t descend from slaves. Therefore he has a sense of self-worth and pride that isn’t easily diminished by the prejudices he undoubtedly encountered from birth to today. I truly believe, because his forefathers were not slaves, he can dismiss racism relatively easier than an African-American. Just my opinion–

I’m amazed at how well this letter is written. Education!!!! Nowadays kids cannot even write a simple paragraph.

@xluvc I was guilty of this in the past, but I changed. I encourage you to do the same. I’m not saying be disrespectful, but be yourself. You will accomplish a lot more in and out of work. As for the prez, I have a feeling we will see a very different prez during his second term.

@grownman I agree that we will see a very diffrent President in his second term. I am so curious what people thought he was going to do in 3 years? Did they think he was going to be able to part the Red Sea? i am so tired of people talking about what he has NOT DONE and look at what he has done! Did you go to the first day on your job and make major chages or did you have to learn your way around just a bit and figure out the best way to do things. i don’t give a damn what anybody says this man was handed a boat load of crap from bush and he has dealt with it. And hello surprise hIs are are consistanly tied by a congress that want to make sure he is a one term President they could care less about this country as far as I am concerned OBAMA 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And i wilo contine to say don’t vote or don’t support him and then LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES..Sorry I went on a soap box but I get tired of hearing this crap.Let Newt the snoot get in and all he will care about is how perfect his wife’s hair is looking for the camera and let willard get in and all he will care about is his bottom line and which one of his 6 mansions he can go visit this week

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